FIRST Robotics Competition Celebrates CTL for Six Years of Support
CTL is proud to support FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), an international K-12 not-for-profit organization founded by inventor Dean Kamen to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology. CTL, a Silver Supplier of the 2015 FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), was recently recognized with a plaque at the FIRST Supplier Summit in Manchester, New Hampshire. CTL joined industry leaders including FedEx, 3M and Microsoft at this annual event to network, participate in discussions and honor student winners of the prestigious 2015 FIRST Dean’s List Award.
The FIRST Robotics Competition Silver Supplier level designates a contribution of between $25,000 and $100,000. CTL is expected to provide 500 or more 2goPC laptops that will be used to power student-built robots and will be included in the 2015 FRC Kit of Parts which was distributed to nearly 3,000 teams of high-school students earlier this year.
By providing components for the competition, FIRST Suppliers are putting the latest technology into the hands of students, giving them the opportunity to apply the same tools used by professional scientists and engineers and, ultimately, helping them learn real-world skills they will carry into the workplace.
On Jan. 3, 2015, FIRST teams were shown the new RECYCLE RUSH game playing field and received a Kit of Parts made up of motors, batteries, a control system, a PC, pneumatic component, and a mix of automation components – but no instructions. Working with adult Mentors, students have six weeks to design, build, program, and test their robots to meet the season’s engineering challenge. Once these young inventors create a robot, their teams participate in competitions that measure the effectiveness of each robot, the power of collaboration, and the determination of students.
FIRST Robotics Competition is an annual competition that helps students to discover the excitement of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and the rewards a career in STEM can bring. In 1992, the FIRST Robotics Competition began with 28 teams and a single 14-by-14-foot playing field in a New Hampshire high school gym. This season, nearly 3,000 teams – including 364 Rookie teams – will participate.
For more information about CTL’s FIRST authorized products, visit ctl.net/first-robotics-competition or contact Gary Welk at 800-642-3087 x220 or gwelk@ctl.net.